title: Gold nanorod vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus.
abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of pneumonia and wheezing in infants and the elderly, but to date there is no licensed vaccine. We developed a gold nanorod construct that displayed the major protective antigen of the virus, the fusion protein (F). Nanorods conjugated to RSV F were formulated as a candidate vaccine preparation by covalent attachment of viral protein using a layer-by-layer approach. In vitro studies using ELISA, electron microscopy and circular dichroism revealed that conformation-dependent epitopes were maintained during conjugation, and transmission electron microscopy studies showed that a dispersed population of particles could be achieved. Human dendritic cells treated with the vaccine induced immune responses in primary human T cells. These results suggest that this vaccine approach may be a potent method for immunizing against viruses such as RSV with surface glycoproteins that are targets for the human immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Natalie J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Thornburg
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Sam J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Crowe
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D055767:Immobilized Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D055767:Immobilized Proteins; D006046:Gold